Otane's Art Deco station plan gathers steam

Otane resident and model train enthusiast Bill Dysart is one of the driving forces behind a plan to build a replica of the town's railway station, which will hopefully bring back Art Deco devotees who don't stop at the rural CHB town as often as they once did. Photo / Clinton Llewellyn

It may take some time to arrive at its destination, but Progressive Otane's plan to build a replica of the town's original wooden railway station is slowly picking up steam.

Otane's station was opened after the rail line was extended to the town in 1876, when the town was known as Kaikora (and later Kaikora North) before becoming Otane in 1910 at the request of the postal service, so as to end confusion with Kaikoura in the South Island.

After the original timber station was destroyed by fire, a new one was built in 1894 which was staffed by a full-time station master and had a ticket window on one side.

With its station, large sidings and stockyards, goods shed and loading bank, Otane had one of the biggest railyards in the country, said Bill Dysart, a model train enthusiast and Progressive Otane member, who one of the main drivers of the project.

"It was actually one of the biggest railyards in the Southern Hemisphere because all the sheep, cattle and timber from around here came through Otane.

"So it was a big complex originally, with the post office and telegraph in there as well."

The railway station housed the post office until 1912, when it was moved into Higginson St in conjunction with the name change.

In the 1960s the wooden railway station was demolished and replaced by a brick and concrete building, which was closed in the 1980s and was later demolished.

Dysart said the plan was to build a replica of the old wooden station and display memorabilia inside and possibly even mannequins dressed in old uniforms.

"Progressive Otane has a small museum in the town hall that has a model of the town from the 1880s, which has a static display of the old station.

"It's very good, so we thought we'd possibly move that stuff into the station and make it into a railway museum," said Dysart.

He hoped the replica station would attract more visitors to the town, including those who travelled in vintage railway cars during the region's annual Art Deco celebrations.

"They haven't stopped in Otane for a few years," he said.

Dysart said KiwiRail had agreed to lease the town's old railway platform as a site for the replica railway station.

The next step would be to have plans drawn up to get an idea of the costs. The CHB District Council would then be approached for resource consents before fundraising began in earnest.

"I'd hate to think how much it will cost," said Dysart, "but I am hoping it won't cost a lot and people will donate time and money and help with the building."

He even hoped to secure support from perhaps the country's wealthiest model train enthusiast, Weta Workshop founder Sir Richard Taylor.

Dysart said his son, John, worked as a digital animator at Weta's headquarters at Miramar in Wellington.

"He [Taylor] is right into trains. So when we get all this approved, I was considering asking John to approach him to see if he wanted to get on board and make the mannequins or something for it."